Slicing machine



E. M. STILES SLICING MACHINE Sept. 20, 1932.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1925 :"lum

INVENTOIE se uzo, 1932. E. M. sTlLES 1,878,020

SLICING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 2 I lammm m Sept. 20,1932. E. MfSTlLES 1,878,020

SLICING MACHINE Filed June 25: 1925 a sheets-sheet a ZM/vra/e f m @1-'46:?

Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT FEQE EDWARDll/I. STILES, OFBURLINGTON, IOWA, A SSIGNOB, TO U. S. SLICING MAGI-IIN E CO1V.E-;

PANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA SLIGING MACHINE Application filed .Tune25, 1925. Serial No. 39,401.

This invention relates to machines for slicing meats, bread or othercommodities, and has for its object the provision of a machine inwhichan entire piece may be sliced with- 11. out reclamping and whichshall be of improved construction and operation. The invention isexemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts, shown in theaccompanying drawings, and described in the'following" specification,and it is more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1- is a rear elevation of a slicingmachine havingone embodiment of the present invention applied thereto;

\ w'Fig. 2- is an elevation of a supplemental follower member; Fig. 3 isa top plan View of the Inach-ine'shown in Fig. 1; Fig.- 4 is a sideelevationof the machine shown in Figures 1 and'3.

1 10 In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the numeral10designates a base frame or" support having ways 11' and -12 which carryareciprocating table 13. The table 13;is reciprocated on its guidewaysby means of alink 14 pivoted to the table at 15 and connected to a crankarm 16 by a pivot pin 17. The crank arm 16 is screwedto a studshaft 18journaled in the top of the base 10. A lower end of the shaft 18 carriesa beveled gear lawhich meshes with a pinion 20 on a drive shaft 21journaled in the frame 10. A hand wheel 22 is connected to the end ofthe shaft-'21 at the operators side of the slicing machine. A shaft 23is journaled in a sleeve 24 formed'on the frame 10 and the shaft-isprovided with a pinion 25 which meshes with the gear 19. i

The shaft 23-carries' a sprocket wheel 26 having a chain 27 extendingupwardly therefrom and enclosed in-a chain box 28, which also forms asupport for a disk knife 29. Knife 29 is mounted on a stud shaft 30 atthe upper end of the chain box 28 and is driven by a sprocket wheel 31over which the chain 27 passes; It may be noted that the axis of'theknife 29' is arranged'adjacent the operators position and'is spaced awayfrom the opposite side of'the machine a sufl'icientdistance'to permitthe reciprocating table to move away 50 from the operator" past theslicing knife.

' ator.

This permits the slices to be severed during the movement of the tabletoward the oper- Heretoforemachines of this nature have been arranged tosever the slices during the movement of the table away from the"operator. I i

The present arrangement has the advantage that it facilitates receivingthe slicesas they are formed and arranging them by hand stack upon theslice receiving in an orderly plate. It also permits the edge of theknife toward the operator to be enclosed in a guard shown at 32. Thearrangement is also better adapted to the form of holding mechanismemployed in the present invention than is the arrangement heretoforeemployed, in which the slices are severed during the movement away fromthe operator.

The'reciprocating table is preferably pr-ovlded with corrugations .33extending transversely to the direction of reciprocation of the tableand the material to be sliced is' placed 'uponthese corrugations and isfed forwardly longitudinally of the corrugations. An upright abutment 34is provided at the edge of the table away from the operator and forms astop against which the piece to be sliced is placed.

A follower plate 35 is mounted. to slide in dovetail grooves 36 formedat the opposite sides of the reciprocatingtable 13. A follower block 36is screwed to the plate 35 and engages the rear face of the piece to besliced. The plate 35 is provided with an arm 37 having a half nut 38 atits outer end arranged to mesh with a feed screw 39.

The feed screw 39 is rotated by a rachet mechanism 40 'Which may be ofusual construction and which advances the follower plate 35 bypredetermined amounts at the end of each reciprov cation of the table13.

The follower block 36 is provided with a longitudinal groove 41 in whicha bolt having a square shank 42 is arranged to slide. The bolt 42carries a clamping bar 43 at its forward end which may be located inadjusted positions along the block 36 by means of a wing nut 44. The bar43' is provided with teeth 45 for engaging the edge of the piece tobe'clamped at the corner thereof remote supporting from the abutment 34and from the cutting plane of the slicing knife.

A plate 46, having corrugations 47 on the lower face thereof, isarranged to rest upon the top surface of the piece to be sliced. Thisplate is mounted on posts 47 arranged at the two corners of the tableadjacent the operators position and on the abutment plate 34 at theopposite side of the reciprocating table.

Spring pressed pins 48 are carried by lugs 49 on the top of the plate 46and extend into grooves 50 in the post 47 and plate 34. The pins 48 maybe arranged to move freely in the grooves 50, or sufficient friction maybe produced by the spring pressure of the pins .48 in their respectivegrooves toretain the plate 46 in various positions of vertical adjustment.

During a slicing operation, the piece is held against the force of theknife 29 by the ,7 table 13 and the abutment plate 34. The corrugations33 and 47 cooperating with the teeth 45 overcome any tendency of thepiece to be rotated about a vertical axis, due to the force of the knifeupon the piece.

The follower 36 feeds the piece forwardly step by step between thecorrugations on the table 13 and the plate 46. The follower 36 issufficiently low to permitthe plate 46 to rest on the top of thethinnest pieces sliced in the machine.

Supplemental follower blocks 51, shown in Fig. 2, are arranged to bedetachably supported on the upper face of the block 36, (see Fig. 4) soas to assist in holding the rear side of pieces having a greaterthickness than the height of the single block 36. The supplemental block51 is provided witlf pins 52 for holding it in place on the block 36.The clamping bar 53 is also adjustably mounted on block 51 in a mannersimilar to the bar 43 on the block 36.

1.'A slicing machine comprising a slicing knife, a table arranged toreciprocate adjacent the'cutting plane of said knife, an abutment at oneside of said table, substantially at right angles to the cutting planeof said knife, a plate disposed above said table. and movable verticallyrelative thereto, and a follower for feeding the material along saidabutment between said plate and table, said plate and table havingcorrugations on adjacent faces thereof extending substantially parallelto said abutment.

.2. In combination, a table for supporting material to be sliced, havingan abutment at one side thereof, a follower, movable along said abutmentto feed material toward the front of said table, a clamp for engagingthe material on said table atthe side thereof remote from said abutment,and a holder for engaging the top of material upon said table,

- said holder being arranged to remain stationary relatively to thelongitudinal feeding movement of said follower while mounted to movevertically through a wide range of operative positions.

3. In combination, a supporting frame, a

of opposite that which first registerswith said knife during a slicingmovement of said table, a holder disposed over the top of said table andadjustable toward and away from said table, a follower having a clampadjustably mounted thereon for engaging a piece of 8 material at thecorner thereof remote from said abutment and the cutting plane .of saidknife, and means for removing said followor toward the cutting plane ofsaid knife to feed material between said table and said holder. V.

4. In a slicing machine, the combination 7 with a slicing knife, of acarriage adapted to reciprocate past said slicing knife, uprights on'said carriage some of which are adj acent eo the cutting plane of saidknife,and others of which are remote therefrom, .a clamping platesupported on said uprights, inter-engaging means on said uprights andclamping plate for guiding the clampingplate ver-;:,

tically while preventing longitudinal move-.

ment thereof in a direction substantially perpendicular to the verticalmovement thereof, and means for feeding a substance along saidearriagetoward the cutting plane-3,100

of said knife and between said clamping plate and." carriage, saidinter-engaging means comprising a pin and slot connection between eachof said uprights and said clamping plate, each of said pins beingspringtime pressed into frictional engagement with its respective slot,said plate being unsupported except by said inter-engaging means.

5. A slicing machine comprising artable having an upwardlyextendingabutment on 2110 one side thereof and extending a substantialdistance along that side, the opposite side. of said table beingsubstantially unobstructed so as to permit placing of the substance onsaid table, feeding means for feeding a sub- 3 stance along said table,a holder for continuously contacting the substance while it is being fedalong said table,rand means for preventing the movement of the holder inthe (fiigection in which the substance is being 6. A slicing machinecomprising a table substantially unobstructed on one side but having anupwardly extending abutment at the opposite side thereof, a presserplate above said table for engaging a substance on said table, means forfeeding a substance along said table including means .for'holding saidsubstance against said abutment,

and means for preventing said presser plate (-139 from being moved alongwith said substance.

7. In a slicing machine, the combination with a substance support and aknife mova- 'ble relatively to each other, of an abutment on saidsupport on the side thereof away from the side which is first presentedto said knife on the slicing stroke, the side which is first presentedbeing substantially unobstructed, a presser plate above said support forholding the substance against said sup port, means for feeding asubstance along said support, and means for preventing movement of saidpresser plate in the direction in which the substance is moved.

8. In a slicing machine, the combination with a substance support and aknife movable relatively to each other, of an abutment on said supporton the side thereof away from the side which is first presented to saidknife on the slicing stroke, the side which is first presented beingsubstantially unobstructed, a presser plate above said support forholding the substance against said support, means for feeding asubstance along said support, and means for preventing movement of saidpresser plate in the direction in which the substance is movedcomprising upwardly extending guides and cooperating means on saidguides and presser plate which permit adjustment of said presser plateto and from said support but not in the direction in which the substanceis fed.

9. A device as claimed in claim 7 in which means is provided for holdingsaid substance against said abutment plate as said substance moves alongsaid support.

10. A slicing machlne comprising a support, a presser member, guidesextending upward from said support at opposite ends thereof, andco-operating frictional means on said guides at opposite ends of saidsupport and said presser member for frictionally holding said pressermember in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions along said guidesagainst the force of gravity but permitting adjustment along said guideswhen additional force is applied thereto, said press er member beingunsupported except by said frictional means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this22nd day of June A. D. 1925.

EDWARD M. STILES.

